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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: tear · root · content · rule · foot · club · ball · fork

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. tear — from crying
  3. tear — from crying
  4. foot — a measure
  5. ball — a great time
  6. root — of a plant
  7. ball — a dance
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. content — the amount
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. content — happy
  15. rule — government
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. tear — to rip
  18. club — for golf
  19. club — a group
  20. root — of a word
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. root — the cause
  23. club — for dancing
  24. fork — in a road

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com